This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
As it's the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem, Palestine, is a top destination for everyone who likes to visit religious sites, and one of the holiest places for Christians and Jews.
The Church of Nativity, a church built on the place where Jesus is said to be born, attracts visitors from all over the world and can obviously not be missed when you are visiting Bethlehem and Palestine. The Church of Nativity is located on top of the hill, surrounded by the Old Town. Whether you are religious or not, the Church of Nativity is an interesting place to visit and you can feel the importance of the place when walking around. In the old town you can find many shops selling falafel, kebabs, and loads of souvenirs. Location-wise, it is best to book your Bethlehem, Palestine hostel in the Old Town. Even though Bethlehem is small and the distances from a Bethlehem, Palestine hostel outside the Old Town to the old is never really far, it can be quite exhausting and time consuming because the Old Town is located on a hill and the streets leading toward the Old Town are pretty steep.
There are also a few Bethlehem, Palestine hostels outside the Old Town and normally come at a lower price. Some of the Bethlehem, Palestine hostels are not officially registered at the government, according to the owners because the fare to be registered is very high. Therefore you may not find these Bethlehem, Palestine hostels on all online booking systems, so you may need to put a bit more effort to find them on the web. Generally, these Bethlehem, Palestine hostels are nice too. They may offer less comfort and fewer people tend to find those places, but they offer a more local experience compared to the Bethlehem, Palestine hostels in the Old Town. These people like to tell you their stories and help you to understand what living right behind the Israeli wall is like.
The wall that separates Israel and Palestine is only one-and-a-half kilometres away from the city centre and is definitely worth a visit too. It will help you understand a bit better how the wall influences the lives of the people on both sides. On the Bethlehem side of the wall, you can find many beautiful and meaningful graffiti where Palestinians express their thoughts and feelings. Some of the graffiti art has become world famous and you can find some Banksy paintings too. You can find the paintings not only on the Israeli wall, but also on several other buildings in town.
If you prefer not to stay in Bethlehem, you might as well consider to book a hostel in Jerusalem or Ramallah, Palestine. Both cities are only an hour away by bus and thus Bethlehem is easily accessible as a day trip.
Written by local expertz for Bethlehem
Martin Straatman
